Improvement in steam-pumps



iSTAT/ES PATENT OFFICE.

' .'IosEPE EAMILroN, oF Frrrsone, FENNsYLvANIA,

` IMFRovEMENT iN-srEAm-Rumrs.

l I Specification 'formingpart of-Letters Patent No. 154,548, dated September 1, 1874 application filed March 16, 1874.

" To all whom @may concem..

Be it knownthat I, JOSEPH .F. HAMILTON,

" j of-littsburg, in the county of Allegheny and Y, State of Pennsylvania, have invented acertain new .anduseful Improvementin Steam-Pumps;

and I do hereby declare that the following is i a full, clear, and exact description thereof,ref

erence being/'had to the accompanying draw- 'ings and tothe letters of `'reference marked thereon. A My inventionV relates to an improvement 1n steam-pumps, and consistsinthe combination fof the slide-valve, its stem, adjusting-nuts,

and a fixed projection or abutment, arranged between said adjusting-nuts, andin which the valve-stem moves, whereby the slide-Valve can be adjusted with relation to.the steamports ofthe cylinderfor admitting more steam y part of my specification, Figure l is a longitudinal and vertical section of my improvement in steam-pumps. Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the same at line y, of Fig. 1.

In the accompanying drawings, A represents 'an ordinary steam-engine cylinder, and..

B its steam-chest. The steam-supply ports lw, and "w., exhaust-port S', slide-valve D, and piston-head C, are also of the ordinary construction, excepting the steam-supply port w', the opening of which in the cylinder at uis very narrow, and lengthwise of the cylinder instead of being at right angle to' the longitudinal axis as is ordinarily the case, andthe slide-valve vis made a little longer," so as to cover part of the opening in the valveseat s of the steam-port w. The object of these two vvaria-tions will be hereinafter fully explained. B representsan ordinary forcepump, its plunger .fr and the piston-rod D forming asingle piece, with a slot, l, through it for-the lever g, which isfpivoted at h. To the lower end of the lever gis pivoted a link, i, the lower end of which is pivoted to an adjustable spring, J, the tension of which is regulated by a set-screw, k. The cylinder A and pump B are cast in one'piece, the port N betweenthe cylinder A and pump being cored out for the piston-rod D', plunger and lever as shown in the accompanying drawings. 0n the side of the pump B( and port' N is a projection, R, in which -is formed in the casting process a recess for babbitt-metal. D"

represents the stem for the slide-valve D.

The stem D" passes through the projection It and an opening, m, in the lever g, and is se- .cured'to the slide-valve D. When the stem D is secured to theralve D and it is properly adjusted, melt-ed babbitt-metal is poured 'into the recess, as indicated at P, whereby a cheap and perfect slide and guide is formed. Onthe stem D" are two adjustable abutments, A A", and two screw-nuts, ,e and f. The screw-nuts c and f are used for regulating the position of the slide-valve D with relation to the opening of the steam-port win the valveseat s, and for determining the travel of the stem DIIV and valve D. The abutments A andA are used in connection with the lever g, link t', and spring J, for moving the valve D when the engine and pump are in operation.

vIn the cylinder Aat v is a recess, which corresponds to the opening u at the inner end of the steam-port w. This recess is used for the purpose of balancing the pressure ot' thesteam on the piston-head C .when it is at or opposite to the opening u. By having the opening u narrow and long and parallel to the' longitudinal axis of the cylinder, the steam is gradually admitted into the cylinder, so that when the pump fails to ill with water (which is frequently thecase) the full pressure of steam does not come on the piston-head at once, forcing it down with all the power of the steam when there Yis no resistance to the plunger a: ofthe pump B. The advantage of thus gradually admitting the steam to the upper side of the' piston-head G will be uniformity in t-he action of the engine, whether the pump is filled with water or not filled, and the sudden and violent action common to the engine when the pump fails to ll with water, is obviated. By the arrangement described of the openinguwith relation to the opening w, adjustable slidevalve D, piston C, and plunger w, the sudden downward v lmovement of the piston and plunger is obvi- `ated when thepump fails to-ll with water on ton, otherwise'it and the plunger will descend too rapidly, causinga violent and jarring action, very liable to injure the pump and render it inoperative'. By making the slide-valve D so that it will extend partly over the opening of the-Hsteam-port w more steam can be' ad mitted to one end of the' cylinderA than to the otherend-of it, whereby the power of the v engine can be regulated to suit the work required of it, as in the case of a steam-pump or steam-hammer, which requires most power in the downward movementof the' piston and plunge@ and just sufficient power to raise them in the upward movement of the piston.

The Aoperation of my improvement herein-` hefore desc'ribed is las follows: Steam being supplied to the steam-chest B, and slide-valve 1),'and piston-head C,- in the position represented in Fig.- 1, the plunger a: will, in connection with the spring J, move the lever g, so

that its upper end will press against the abut-A ment A, which will move the slide-valve D and allow steam to enter the steam-port w', and the piston D in its downward movement will, inconnecton withv the spring J, move v the lever g `so that its upper end will press against the abutment A', which will move the slide-valve D, so that the steam will enter the steam-port w. The exhausting of the steam, is accomplished in the usual manner.

Having thus described my improvement, what I claim as of my invention is 'In a steam -pim p, constructed substantially' as hereinbefore described, the combination yof the adjusting-nuts ej, valve-stem D, andslidevalve D, the valve-stem DI moving in a fixed projection between the nuts e and f, as and for the purpose set fort i J 0S. F. HAMILTON.

Witnesses A. AC. J onNsroN, i JAMES J. J oHNsToN. 

